Method and system for managing interactive communications campaigns with text messaging

Abstract

A messaging platform includes a text messaging subsystem that includes a suite of enhancements that facilitate implementation of a multi-channel communications strategy with high level and fine-grained control over outbound message creation or inbound message handling.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer program product in a non-transitory computer readable medium for use in a data processing system for managing interactive communications campaigns, wherein a given campaign comprises one or more sub-campaigns, the computer program product holding computer program instructions which when executed by the data processing system perform a method, the method comprising:
 associating a root-level keyword/source address pair to a unique in-bound sub-campaign that is adapted to process any mobile-originated (MO) messages with the root-level keyword on the source address; 
 defining an in-bound messaging script that includes one or more actions to be taken by the data processing system in association with a MO text message, wherein an action is based on one of: a state of a conversation, a second-level keyword that is not a root-level keyword, a value of a variable, and a given occurrence in the communications campaign; and 
 upon receipt of an MO text message from the source address and that includes the root-level keyword, executing the in-bound messaging script with respect to the unique in-bound sub-campaign. 
 
     
     
       2. The computer program product as described in  claim 1  wherein the given occurrence is a transmission of a voice message and the messaging script controls the data processing system to send the text message as a follow-up to the voice message. 
     
     
       3. The computer program product as described in  claim 1  wherein, based on the value of the variable, the messaging script determines whether a given telephone number is wireless and should receive the text message. 
     
     
       4. The computer program product as described in  claim 1  wherein, based on the value of the variable, the messaging script determines that an account associated with the messaging script is enabled for text messaging. 
     
     
       5. The computer program product as described in  claim 1  wherein the sub-campaign is event-based. 
     
     
       6. The computer program product as described in  claim 1  wherein the keyword is a first level keyword associated with a set of one or more approvals, wherein a given approval is associated with a particular short code and carrier. 
     
     
       7. The computer program product as described in  claim 6  wherein the second-level keyword triggers the action during the sub-campaign. 
     
     
       8. The computer program product as described in  claim 1  wherein the method further includes queuing unhandled inbound text messages according to one or more second-level keywords. 
     
     
       9. An apparatus for managing interactive text-based communications campaigns within a data processing system, wherein a given campaign comprises one or more sub-campaigns, the apparatus comprising:
 a processor; 
 a computer memory holding computer program instructions which when executed by the processor perform a method comprising:
 associating a root-level keyword/source address pair to a unique in-bound sub-campaign that is adapted to process any mobile-originated (MO) messages with the root-level keyword on the source address; 
 defining an in-bound messaging script that includes one or more actions to be taken by the data processing system in association with a MO text message, wherein an action is based on one of: a state of a conversation, a second-level keyword that is not a root-level keyword, a value of a variable, and a given occurrence in the communications campaign; and 
 upon receipt of an MO text message from the source address and that includes the root-level keyword, executing the in-bound messaging script with respect to the unique in-bound sub-campaign.